Astronomical SocietyJust another WordPress site2015-03-01T02:00:16Zhttps://www.astrosociety.org/feed/atom/WordPressadminhttps://www.astrosociety.org/?p=49332015-02-24T20:37:32Z2015-02-24T20:37:32ZTo help ensure the continued success of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP), the Board of Directors is requesting nominees who reflect our membership and also provide the breadth of skills and experience for an effective Board.

We need …

]]>To help ensure the continued success of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP), the Board of Directors is requesting nominees who reflect our membership and also provide the breadth of skills and experience for an effective Board.

We need astronomy advocates from various backgrounds with skills the ASP Board of Directors sees as necessary to help ensure the success of ASP. A vital step in making that possible is for ASP members to nominate candidates for the Board of Directors. Read the full letter to members here.

]]>0adminhttps://www.astrosociety.org/?p=48392015-01-13T18:57:40Z2015-01-13T18:57:40ZThe Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) and IOP Publishing (IOP) have announced a new partnership to publish the journal Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (PASP).

Established in 1889, PASP has a long and illustrious history in …

]]>The Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) and IOP Publishing (IOP) have announced a new partnership to publish the journal Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (PASP).

Established in 1889, PASP has a long and illustrious history in the field of astronomy, disseminating refereed research, invited reviews, and dissertation summaries. PASP’s primary focus is to provide a medium through which astronomy research at all wavelengths and distance scales can be communicated to a global community at all levels. The journal also publishes timely and informative articles on the latest innovations in astronomical instrumentation and software.

The new collaboration between the ASP and IOP will build on the reputation of PASP. It will enable both organizations to further their outreach mission by communicating astronomy research to a broader spectrum of the scientific community.

“We look forward to our partnership with IOP,” said Dr Linda Shore, Executive Director of the ASP. “Astronomy has become an international enterprise increasingly involving researchers in every corner of the globe and IOP will help PASP support astronomers throughout the world.”

Jeff Mangum, Editor-in-Chief of PASP said: “IOP has distinguished itself as the premier publisher in the physical science community. With this new collaboration, PASP will be able to broaden its exposure within the international astrophysical community through IOP’s partnerships in rapidly-developing physics communities, such as those in Asia and South America.”

Steven Hall, Managing Director of IOP said: “We are delighted to partner with the ASP on its journal. We look forward to bringing the benefits of IOPscience to PASP and to expanding its global audience still further.”

Jamie Hutchins, Head of Publishing of IOP said: “PASP has a long and dignified history and we are pleased to welcome the ASP as a publishing partner. Our new partnership will ensure that the journal and the individual articles within it are disseminated to the widest possible audience. We will be adding additional support to the editorial operation of the journal and look forward to a smooth transition over the course of 2015.”

PASP will be available on IOPscience from January 2016 and will continue to be available to ASP members as well as institutional subscribers. For further information, please e-mail custserv@iop.org.

]]>0adminhttps://www.astrosociety.org/?p=48122014-12-15T22:30:27Z2014-12-15T22:23:57ZRe-posted from My Head is in the Stars by ASP Astronomy Educator Vivian White.

Original posting date: October 10, 2014

I don’t usually teach classes like this, in so many ways. I am used to talking astronomy with the general

I don’t usually teach classes like this, in so many ways. I am used to talking astronomy with the general public in short bursts, at star parties with a telescope, or doing activities at festivals, or maybe a visit to a classroom. I think that gives me some advantages and also presents some challenges. I’m used to questions from all ages and backgrounds, but rarely have much time to explain things in depth. Structuring a course over 2 weeks has given me the luxury of delving deeper into the history and exciting details of planets and stars. The biggest challenge by far has been assessing their prior knowledge. Such as…

I explained the life cycle of stars today, equating the stages to the life of a butterfly (thanks, Marni). They seemed to be following until the last few sentences. I ended with what is usually an “ahhh-ha!” moment about how all of the calcium in our bones and iron in our blood had been created by stars. All good, but no “ahhh-ha” this time. The story was great but they had never heard of these elements (or atoms at all) it turns out. Whaa-whaa.

On the other hand, these guys spontaneously picked up some supplies for other classes and made telescopes, noticing when they got inverted images and testing out different combinations. Cool!

Back to the challenges. A few monks took 3 days and 4 attempts to convince that people in Australia did not have to hold on for dear life in order to stay on the planet. It required a deep look into gravity, pictures of kangaroos and penguins, mind models with dropping balls, and I’m still not sure they buy it.

Yesterday we made guesses about the timeline of earth, placing single-celled organisms, the first animals, and such on a timeline stretching back almost 5 billion years. This one gives most everyone trouble, but this is the first time I’ve seen anyone place humans as the first living thing to appear on Earth. Their completely sensible reasoning? If someone wasn’t here to observe it, how do we know it happened? They had never heard of evolution.

So many subjects that I don’t feel prepared to teach well! I’m sure there are engaging ways to introduce evolution, the periodic table, and fusion. The new part is that they’re just not questions I usually get from adults with the reasoning skills to really understand the concepts fully, like these monks and nuns have. They are so curious, open to new ideas, and have the attention spans to really delve deeply into a subject. It’s been hard to reconcile their keen ability to grasp complex concepts with their lack of exposure to any of the basic building blocks of science. I’m making these new connections in my own head every day, thanks to them.

]]>0adminhttps://www.astrosociety.org/?p=47872014-12-10T18:22:45Z2014-12-10T18:22:45ZThe Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) is accepting nominations for the organization’s national annual awards which recognize special achievements in astronomy research, technology, education, and public outreach. Nominations are welcome in seven categories, online or in writing until February …]]>The Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) is accepting nominations for the organization’s national annual awards which recognize special achievements in astronomy research, technology, education, and public outreach. Nominations are welcome in seven categories, online or in writing until February 15, 2015. Honorees receive a cash award and engraved plaque, as well as travel and lodging to accept the award at a banquet which takes place as part of the ASP’s Annual Meeting next fall. The awards for which nominations are accepted are as follows:

The Thomas J. Brennan Award is given for excellence in the teaching of astronomy at the high school level in North America.

The Amateur Achievement Award recognizes significant observational or technological contributions to astronomy or amateur astronomy by an individual not employed in the field of astronomy in a professional capacity.

Founded in 1889 in San Francisco, the ASP’s mission is to increase the understanding and appreciation of astronomy–by engaging scientists, educators, enthusiasts and the public–to advance science and science literacy. The ASP publishes scholarly and educational materials, conducts professional development programs for formal and informal educators, and holds conferences, symposia, and workshops for astronomers and educators specializing in education and public outreach. More information may be found at www.astrosociety.org

Professor Knox leads the U.S. team determining the basic characteristics of the cosmos from the data recently acquired by the European Space Agency’s Planck satellite. He shows the detailed images of the sky obtained by Planck, pictures made from light that has been traveling our way for nearly 14 billion years, since the universe was only a few hundred thousand years old. He further explains how such images provide us with our best means of studying events mere fractions of a second after the Big Bang.

]]>0adminhttps://www.astrosociety.org/?p=47482014-12-05T19:29:26Z2014-12-08T08:00:35ZThe vote on the ASP bylaw amendment was completed on November 1st. The amendment was approved by the membership with a vote of 267 yes and 55 no – an 84% approval rate. For more information, please read this letter …]]>The vote on the ASP bylaw amendment was completed on November 1st. The amendment was approved by the membership with a vote of 267 yes and 55 no – an 84% approval rate. For more information, please read this letter from ASP Board President, Gordon Myers.

Results of ASP Bylaw Amendment Vote

The vote on the ASP bylaw amendment completed on November 1st. The amendment was approved by a vote of 267 yes and 55 no – an 84% approval rate.

The new process to identify and elect ASP Directors contains a critical new element – the nomination of candidates by ASP members. We will formally request your nominations in the Spring. Please be thinking about potential nominees. We are looking for people with a deep love of astronomy who want to share that love with others – whether it be professionals, amateurs, educators, students or the general public.

Nominees need to strongly support our mission of advancing both the science of astronomy and science literacy using astronomy. They also need to be willing to commit their personal time and efforts by becoming active Board members. We are looking for astronomy advocates from various backgrounds including professional astronomers, college and secondary school teaching, educational program development, public outreach and science education, as well as those who have expertise in finance, business management, fundraising, social media, marketing communications, and applicable technologies.

This is an exciting time of growth with our new Executive Director, Linda Shore, leading the organization. Thanks for your continuing support of ASP!

Gordon Myers
ASP Board President

]]>0adminhttps://www.astrosociety.org/?p=47202014-12-15T22:24:11Z2014-12-02T21:22:44ZRe-posted from My Head is in the Stars by ASP Astronomy Educator Vivian White.

Original posting date: October 3, 2014

I started this post claiming that the questions from the monks have been my favorite part of teaching. But I

I started this post claiming that the questions from the monks have been my favorite part of teaching. But I had to revise. By far the best part of this trip so far was showing 20+ monks and nuns their first view through a telescope. It was mostly hazy but we looked at the moon and it was magical. Instead of the usual wow! and ooooh!, they made this small throaty grunt and then hisstled through their teeth. Some of the comments:

I feel I could hold it here, in my palm.

I wanted to write a poem about the beautiful moon. But I see it is so empty. I like the earth much better with birds and trees. I shall write a poem about this instead.

It looks smooth like glass. Do the astronauts slip?

Have you been to the moon?

We couldn’t have observed on a better night. Today in class we talked about how the moon changes shape. The monks held the common misconception that Earth’s shadow causes phases. The Tibetan culture follows a lunar calendar, so there was no confusion about how long it took the Moon to orbit the Earth. We modeled the sun, moon, and earth system with a bright light and small balls. Even having to take turns in a room that was slightly too bright, this activity was joyfully received, with the “ahhas!” transcending translation.

Yesterday, teaching wore me out so much that I barely made it to dinner. Today I’ve been energized. The rest of India is celebrating Dussehra with copious fireworks and the thick haze crept up the valley and covered the moon by 8:30. I’ll take my cue and turn in. I get up early tomorrow to make dough for another moon activity. I may have lugged a telescope and 40 bowls halfway around the globe but there was no way I was bringing 15 lbs of play-doh too.

]]>0adminhttps://www.astrosociety.org/?p=46832014-11-25T18:54:55Z2014-11-25T18:54:55ZRe-posted from Completely Out of My Mind by ASP Executive Director Linda Shore.

Original posting date: November 23, 2014

Sometimes a shirt also becomes an opportunity to have an honest look at the gender inequities that still exist in science.…

Sometimes a shirt also becomes an opportunity to have an honest look at the gender inequities that still exist in science.

Of course, I am talking about the unfortunate fashion choice made by Dr. Matt Taylor, Project Scientist, of the Rosetta Mission who appeared on a live internet stream donning a shirt featuring very buxom women in highly seductive poses.

Here it is in case you live under a rock on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and missed it:

(NBC News)

After Dr. Taylor’s shirt ignited a firestorm of indignation, the British scientist did apologize for wearing it. It had been a birthday gift from a woman who is an artist and friend of Taylor’s. I don’t believe Taylor intended to insult hundreds of thousands of women, but wearing this shirt to publicly discuss one of the most significant achievements in aerospace engineering was thoughtless. Taylor’s own sister apparently described him to the British press as “brilliant, but lacking common sense.”

In the “shirt storm” that resulted, many (mostly men) declared that “feminists” were grossly over-reacting to what was just “cartoon images” printed on fabric. What harm can a few illustrations do to anyone? Sadly, a lot of harm.

I am a woman, a feminist, and 55 years old. I was a college student studying astronomy during the decade following the Women’s Rights Movement and I certainly experienced my share of sexism. When I attended professional science conferences, I could count the number of women scientists on one hand. I always felt out of place. Yet I was determined not to let the lack of role models defeat me. I felt that if I gave up on a career in science, there would be one less woman to be a role model for the next generation.

Eventually, I got a doctorate in science education largely because I wanted to understand how gender inequities in science might be addressed much earlier in a girl’s life. What I learned – and what most people know – is that images are immensely powerful in shaping a girl’s perception of herself. Young girls are bombarded with media messages all the time telling them that appearance is more important than intelligence; they are told that the size of their breasts is far more valuable to society than the size of their brains.

I am personally grateful that Dr. Taylor acknowledged the inappropriateness of his shirt and apologized. I hope he will also find a way to apologize to impressionable young girls who watched the press conference because of their interest in science, saw the images on his shirt, and now question whether there is a place for them in astronomy.

Truthfully, as scientists we ALL bear a responsibility to ensure our actions don’t inadvertently imply there are barriers to engaging in science based on gender, gender preference, physical ability, age, ethnicity, religion, nationality, or beliefs. Each of us wears a “shirt” of some kind that sadly is not as obvious as the one Dr. Taylor wore. It’s up to all of us to look hard in the mirror every morning and make sure we aren’t leaving the house dressed inappropriately.

]]>0adminhttps://www.astrosociety.org/?p=46662014-11-05T22:30:42Z2014-11-05T22:29:30ZRe-posted from My Head is in the Stars by ASP Astronomy Educator Vivian White.

Original posting date: October 2, 2014

I may have just hit the monks like the stars in Nightfall*. Imagine you know absolutely nothing about the …

I may have just hit the monks like the stars in Nightfall*. Imagine you know absolutely nothing about the science of astronomy. Never seen a TV show that showed the Earth as a sphere or learned in grade school how the Moon orbits around the Earth. Now imagine living in an often cloudy place where you are mostly inside studying philosophy so never really much looked up. Not to mention, science is a foreign way of questioning the world, so there’s no basic familiarity with concepts like evidence or making predictions as we know them in the west.

You can imagine that an overview of what science knows of the entire universe would be a lot to digest on day one.

Overall, I’d say it went well. The points I usually make that get big “wow!”s mostly fell flat. The monks and nuns had no preconceived notions to disabuse. But the Sun-centered Solar System – now that was a big “ah-ha!” I felt a bit like Copernicus with a friendlier crowd. They had way more questions than I had time to answer and these showed a good understanding of at least parts of it. I stayed after classes with the tireless interpreter Nima to answer more. (“Nima ” means “Sun” so I use him a lot in my models.) Here we are exploring distances with monk-minutes as we worked up to light years.

I’m going to have to adjust some of my presentation tomorrow to first explain where we reside on Earth, that is on the surface. This confusion is common among children learning about space for the first time. I overlooked that one in my assumptions about the monks’ previous knowledge. Sometimes it’s hard to know where to start. (I hope it goes without saying that I am not calling them child-like. They are some of the most advanced thinkers I’ve ever encountered. They’ve just never seen this information before.)

One of the first activities we did was draw what we thought we would encounter if we put rockets under our mats and could go straight up, out of the roof of our building. Wind and emptiness figured in heavily from their Tibetan cosmology. Here is a representation of the cosmology the monks learn. I studied some of it but many of the concepts are foreign to me. I understand the monks’ confusion about my cosmology. Theirs makes my view of outer space seem almost quaint.

Okay, also this description of the monks is a gross generalization. A few of them have prior knowledge of the science and included planets and even a galaxy in their drawings. But all of them are excited to learn about astronomy and are approaching it with minds wide open. I have never talked with a group of such eager learners. They have simply never been exposed to the ideas before, just as I knew nothing of Mount Meru.

Now for some precious sleep before the monkeys barrel past my window at 6am like a canon blast. Nothing like that and a cold shower to really get your day started on the right foot.

* Didn’t get the Nightfall reference? Read it for free. It’s super short and arguably the best sci-fi ever written. Is nightfelled a verb? It should be. Synonyms: kyboshed and flabbergasted.

]]>0adminhttps://www.astrosociety.org/?p=46262014-10-30T19:38:22Z2014-10-30T19:38:22ZRe-posted from My Head is in the Stars by ASP Astronomy Educator Vivian White.

Original posting date: October 2, 2014

Welcome! These posts are all about an adventure I took in October 2014.

Welcome! These posts are all about an adventure I took in October 2014.

I had the honor of teaching astronomy to a new cohort of Buddhist monks and nuns in Dharamsala, India. They also learned about neuroscience, physics, biology, and more. The students are Geshes, directly translated as “virtuous friend” and equivalent to having earned their PhDs in Buddhism. They are learning science because of the vision of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who believes that Science and Buddhism can enrich each other’s perspectives. This is happening as part of a larger science workshop under the direction of Science For Monks, an incredible organization. I learned so much more than I could teach.

The 4 week institute started today! The opening day consisted of much chanting, an introduction from revered Geshe Lokdor, and a great overview of the philosophy of science by our fearless leader, Bryce Johnson. It’s astounding how much I take the scientific worldview for granted. I suppose in the west we’ve had 400+ years of practice. I’ll share here a couple of quick stories and then I need to prepare for my classes tomorrow.

Thuptan Janyang, an older monk in the program, told me a sky story that “only the old monks remember” about the 7 brothers of the north. They woke up in the north, made a short journey and then came back to sleep in the north. I brought him a planisphere (the sky map that rotates) and showed him the Pleiades or seven sisters asterism that we know. If the map were designed for latitudes a bit further north, the siblings would indeed rise in the north and set in the north. Cool.

In a late night conversation around the telescope last night, a very thoughtful Tomden (the same fellow who picked me up from the airport. Turns out there are so many Tenzins that most of them go by their second name. Previous plan foiled…) asserted that surely one of the goals of science is to relieve suffering. Think of all of the medicine that has helped people live longer. It made me tear up a bit, his confidence that science was benevolent in nature. I mentioned the atom bombs, a brutal example to the contrary. We talked for hours and I’m afraid I couldn’t defend science properly, as much as I adhere to its principles. Sigh.

Tomorrow I’ll have loads to share after 3 hours with a translator talking directly with the monks. I can’t wait and surprisingly I’m not feeling nervous. Maybe the atmosphere of calm is contagious? I’m certainly sleeping and eating well. Every 2 hours there either tea or a meal! Scarcely time for a nap with all that sipping. Beautiful, simple life here. As much as I miss Ace, I’m really savoring all of the alone time. Also, I think he would love it here and hope to bring him someday. Two of the translators have a young son Pusan whose name means “good boy” and he’s very mischievous. I think they’d get along marvelously!